


A Ripple in the Water

by sabinethesoprano



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Human, Fluff, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, My High School AU, Roman and Virgil are twins, Skipping Stones, barely tho - Freeform, soft fluff, we stan analogical bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-29
Updated: 2019-01-29
Packaged: 2019-10-18 15:52:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17583830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sabinethesoprano/pseuds/sabinethesoprano
Summary: Logan is over at Roman and Virgil's house for a school project. Everything is going sort of okay until Logan snaps and Virgil has to intervene. Analogical bonding ensues.





	A Ripple in the Water

**Author's Note:**

> This was inspired by the two most recent Sanders Sides, but mostly I just wanted an excuse to write analogical fluff ajdhfaj
> 
> Please note that I know nothing about stone skipping, so all of the advice was made up on the spot and is probably wrong. Also the majority of this was written past midnight, and I wanted to get it out today, so this is mostly unedited, and I apologize in advance for any typos or very awkward sentences.
> 
> This takes place in the same universe as Pulling Through but occurs two years before, and they're not related at all.
> 
> TW: Logan throwing paper at Roman like he did in the puppet video, but I think that's it - let me know if I missed anything.
> 
> Hope you enjoy!

Virgil tapped his pencil against his thigh. Spread out in front of him were several sheets of paper that appeared to be homework at first glance but were not. Instead, the sheet music, song lyrics, and notes provided a worthy excuse for Virgil to be in his current position.

Sitting criss-cross on his bed and supported by several pillows, the teenager was pretending to compose a song when, in fact, he was ~~spying on~~ observing his brother and the person he had over. His twin would have been too suspicious of homework that Virgil could easily get distracted from but not of Virgil doing an activity he was usually enthralled by.

Roman had told him yesterday that he had invited a classmate over to work on their partner history project. That was fine. Virgil was just protective of his twin, so he wanted to eavesdrop to ensure that everything went smoothly. However, what wasn't fine was that Roman had neglected to mention that the person he had invited over was _Logan_.

Not that there was anything wrong with Logan. It was just that he was the last person Virgil would expect his brother to interact with civilly.

Virgil had quite a few classes with Logan. Three to be exact. And in those classes he had come to get to know Logan and discover a bit about him. Such as how sharp and nerdy he was and also quite passionate. He was confident in his beliefs and leadership skills and was a force to reckon with if you clashed heads with him.

All of these characteristics were fine, and Virgil actually got along with Logan quite well. It was comforting to not be pressured with decisions, and both of them understood how to enjoy each other's presence without unnecessary chatter.

Roman, however, had a completely different personality from Virgil, no matter how much the two twins looked alike. He was fiery, dramatic, and passionate, exactly the sort of person who would easily press Logan’s buttons and get into arguments with him.

Virgil briefly wondered if the two had naively chosen each other as partners or if it was the teacher who made a grave mistake.

Nevertheless, the two were both making an effort to keep the peace. The tension in the room may have been thick enough to slice with a knife, but at least on the exterior it was calm.

Virgil’s trained eye was able to pick up on Roman’s tense shoulders and furrowed eyebrows and Logan’s clenched jaw and balled fists, though.

However, the musician stayed out of it, keeping to himself and remaining quiet. He feared he might become the target of unleashed wrath if he drew any unnecessary attention to himself.

That fear soon became irrelevant, though. Virgil wasn’t really listening to the conversation happening as he had busied himself with working on his new song. He did, however, whip his head up in shock at the sound of Roman’s cry.

Now alert with eyes wide and heart racing, it didn’t take Virgil long to figure out what had happened. A crumpled sheet of paper was lying on the ground by Roman’s bed, Logan’s arm was still outstretched, and Roman’s cheek now donned a soft, red spot that probably wasn’t caused by blushing.

The ‘more insulted than injured’ look on Roman’s face told Virgil that his twin was alright which was the first priority. He also noted the ‘taken back’ look on Logan’s face, as if he hadn’t fully intended to do that.

Figuring it was a good a time as any to insert himself into the situation, Virgil swung his legs over the side of his bed and stood up, sheet music falling to the floor as he did so. “Hey, why don’t I show Logan to the kitchen for a quick snack break?” Virgil asked, though it wasn’t a question.

He let both Roman and Logan interpret the implications of his words for themselves. The two needed to separate and calm down.

Roman nodded, and without a word, Logan stood up and followed Virgil to the door. The musician led him down the hall and the stairs but completely bypassed the kitchen. He instead led him to the front door, only stopping so the two could quickly pull their shoes on. Logan shot Virgil a perplexed look but said nothing.

Then, the two exited the house and looped around the back. Virgil then plunged into the dense but familiar wood behind his house, only looking back a few times to check that Logan was still following him. The sun shined through the thick branches in small patches, lighting up the winding, narrow path Virgil was keeping his eyes trained on. It may have been small, but the dirt path was flat and compressed, a sign that it was well-used.

Eventually they reached a small clearing that opened up, revealing a body of water much too big to be considered a pond but also much too small to be called a lake. The sun beat down, its rays reflecting off of the stagnant water.

Virgil turned around to survey Logan’s expression. His face remained neutral, yet his eyes were filled with wonder and curiosity. Virgil could practically see the cogs in his head teeming with questions upon questions.

Realizing he would have to be the one to break the silence, Virgil awkwardly cleared his throat, “This is my escape. It’s where I come when I’m feeling really frustrated or stressed or anxious.”

He bent over to pick up one of the many stones surrounding the water, rubbing his fingers along its smooth surface. Virgil then planted his feet in a stance, surveying the water in front of him with an experienced eye before suddenly flinging the stone forward. It skipped six times before sinking into the cool abyss below.

Virgil turned to face Logan, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck, “It’s one of my more… constructive coping mechanisms.” He shrugged before turning back to face the water, “I find it soothing for some reason.”

Opting not to reply with words, Logan stepped forward to also choose a stone. He imitated the stance Virgil had been in before tossing his stone. It landed not far from the edge and sunk without bouncing.

“It appears that I am not… as talented as you,” he said. It was an attempt to be nonchalant, but Virgil noticed how his hands were clenched into tight fists. His own lack of skill was obviously bothering Logan.

“Hey,” Virgil said softly. “It’s okay that you’re not that good yet. Trust me - I was no better my first time too. But once I attempted it, I was determined to figure out how to do it properly, and I did. You just need some time, some pointers, and a lot of determination.”

He cracked a grin - warm, friendly, and welcoming, “And that’s one thing I’m sure you have.”

It wasn’t quite a smile, but Virgil knew that that was about as close as he was going to get with Logan. It didn’t matter; his eyes gave away his gratitude anyways.

Logan swallowed thickly, “Would you be willing to show me the details of how you did… that?” he asked, gesturing in the vague direction of the water.

“Of course,” Virgil could see how hard it must have been for Logan to ask him that. He was used to being able to do and understand everything perfectly the first time and not have to ask for help. But that wasn’t reality, and Virgil hoped that he would slowly be able to show Logan that truth.

Virgil grabbed a stone and held it out to Logan, “The size and shape matter since they’ll affect how the stone moves through the air. You’ll want a smooth stone like this one, but most here are pretty solid options, so you won’t have trouble with that.”

As Logan accepted the stone, Virgil gently pressed his hand to his left shoulder to guide him into turning around, “Your stance is pretty good already, but make sure your knees aren’t locked. You want them nice and relaxed.”

From behind Logan, Virgil molded his fingers into a position around the stone and then positioned his arm. It was convenient that both of them were left-handed since it made it so much easier for Virgil to teach. “There’s a ton of factors to consider, but most of them are intuition. However, angle for a bit higher than you think, so the stone is able to arc and bounce instead of just falling into the water.”

Virgil released his grip and stepped back, allowing Logan the time to consider what he had said and to make his own calculations. It was another moment before the stone was thrown into the air and bounced once, twice, before plopping neatly into the water on the third landing.

Logan turned to face Virgil, his eyes shining with barely-contained excitement, “Did you see that?” he asked, a beg for approval hidden in his words.

“I did. It was a pretty sweet toss, Logan,” Virgil responded.

Picking up another stone, Logan quickly flung it towards the water, and this time it skipped three times.

“See, you’ve improved a lot already,” Virgil said as he strode forward. “This doesn’t mean that you’re allowed to throw rocks at my brother instead of paper, though.”

The tone was primarily meant to be joking, but Logan dropped his gaze to the ground, “I regret my actions, he started. “It was a moment that was the result of pent-up frustrations and acting without thinking.”

“I know that you didn’t mean it, Lo.” It’s Roman that you’re going to have to apologize to,” Virgil said. He placed a hand on Logan’s shoulder, “Hey, you two are more alike than you think, and I believe with time and communication it’s possible for you two to become great friends.”

Logan looked at him incredulously, “Are you sure?”

“I’m quite sure. And anyways, we don’t have to head back yet. It’ll still be light out for a couple more hours.”

Nodding, Logan bent down to choose another stone and Virgil followed suit. They spent a long time in silence, the only noise coming from the stones hitting the water.

It was a while longer before Roman found them sitting side by side and just looking out at the water. The sun was descending and had turned the sky from blue to a faded orange and yellow.

Virgil sensed his twin behind him and stood up, knowing that it was now time to head back inside. He extended his hand to Logan who accepted it and used it to pull himself to his feet.

It was about a minute into the trek back before Logan spoke, “Roman, I’m sorry. I acted out of anger before when I should’ve just communicated with my words. My actions were unforgivable, and I hope that you’ll forgive me.”

Virgil counted the seconds - one, two, three, four, five, six, seven unbearable seconds before Roman opened his mouth, “Of course, Logan. And I’m sorry too. I should have also made a better effort to communicate with you.”

Satisfied with the response, Logan strode ahead of the small group. Virgil fell into line with Roman and made eye contact, tilting his head slightly towards Logan. It took Roman a minute, but his eyes widened and he nodded.

The twins couldn’t actually communicate telepathically, but they liked to pretend they could to freak out friends and family. And in the process, they had become much better at communicating nonverbally.

“Hey, Logan?” Roman called, causing said person to spin around. “Would you like to sit with us at lunch tomorrow?”

“Well, I wouldn’t want to intrude…” Logan replied, fidgeting with his glasses.

“We wouldn’t ask if we didn’t want you there, L, “ Virgil interjected.

“Oh, of - of course. In that case then, I suppose that arrangement would be adequate.” Logan allowed his hands to drop and continued walking.

The twins silently high-fived, both glad that Logan was slowly becoming more comfortable around them.

It wasn’t long until the three boys were safe inside Roman and Virgil’s house, the sun nearly set. Some persuasion was necessary, but Logan agreed to stay for dinner before his mom picked him up.

Roman and Logan were already getting along much better which was a relief. They still engaged in a heated, but friendly, debate over Disney movies during dinner, though. Seeing his twin and a person he hoped would soon become a close friend cooperating made Virgil’s heart warm, and he smiled.

Weeks later, Virgil made the familiar hike to the water and was surprised but not upset to see that Logan was already there. Wordlessly, he joined him, and together they enjoyed each other’s company as their stones skipped across the water.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope y'all enjoyed my self-indulgent fluff. Have a great day!


End file.
